Chapter 7: The Murky and Mediated Experience of White Identities in Early Childhood

It is a familiar narrative. Over and over, professional literature cites concerns about young White women in teacher education programs as resistant toward learning about race and racism (Gomez, 1996; LaDuke, 2009; Sleeter, 1993; Tatum, 1992, 1994), noncritical of their own racialized identities (Barnes, 2006; Gay, G. & Kirkland, K., 2003; Milner, 2006), and adept at using strategies such as silence, separation and deflection (Case & Hemmings, 2005; Nash, 2013; Nash & Miller, 2015) in conversations about racial inequities. The concerns are well-justified as we consider the consequences when new teachers enter a profession where there is a great need to challenge inequitable schooling practices and policies (Gangi, 2008; Reid & Knight, 2006; Souto-Manning, 2009). Consequently, much has also been written about how teacher education programs might help preservice teachers build knowledge about race and racism (Cochran-Smith, 2000, 2005; Milner, 2003, 2007; Solomon, Portelli, Daniel, & Campbell, 2005). However, little has been written to provide insights for teacher educators about how White women have been racialized from early childhood. This chapter argues that bringing such information to the forefront in programs of teacher education could support deeper, keener theorizing about White women and the complexities of White women teaching in culturally diverse classrooms, and tells stories about learning to be White providing straightforward examples to help us more clearly recognize the lessons learned by White children who may one day grow into contemporary White women teachers.